Len Darling (footballer) explained

Len Darling
Fullname:Henry Leonard Darling
Birth Date:9 August 1911
Birth Place:Gillingham, England
Death Place:Felixstowe, England
Position:Wing half
Clubs1:Colchester Town
Clubs2:Tufnell Park
Clubs3:Chatham Town
Years4:1932–1933
Caps4:14
Goals4:0
Years5:1933–1948
Caps5:199
Goals5:5

Henry Leonard Darling (9 August 1911 – 6 February 1958) was an English professional footballer who made 213 Football League appearances playing as a wing half for Gillingham and Brighton & Hove Albion.[1]

Life and career

Darling was born in Gillingham. He played non-league football before joining his hometown club, Gillingham of the Football League Third Division South, in 1933. After one season, during which he made 14 league appearances, he signed for Brighton & Hove Albion, where he established himself as a first-team regular. He made 141 league appearances in the pre-war period, served as an ARP ambulance driver during the conflict (as well as playing for Brighton and as a guest for Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in the wartime competitions), and played a further 58 league matches after the resumption. He also coached in schools and acted as trainer to the England youth team. After football, he worked as a schoolteacher. He died in Felixstowe, Suffolk, in 1958 at the age of 47.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Len Darling . UK A–Z Transfers . Neil Brown . 8 August 2018.
  2. Book: Tim . Carder . Roger . Harris . Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. . Goldstone Books . Hove . 1997 . 67 . 978-0-9521337-1-1.